Bear Run Mine

Bear Run Mine is a proposed coal mine by Peabody Energy. Peabody plans to open the mine south of Dugger in Sullivan County, Indiana. Bear Run would be the largest surface mine in the eastern U.S. Company officials say they have agreements to supply more than 90 million tons of coal, and they will start surface mining at Bear Run in 2009. Production is expected to be 8 million tons of coal per year. The mine will employ 350 workers. The plant will produce high-BTU, high-sulfur coal for scrubber-equipped generating plants.

In August 2010, Peabody Energy began moving its dragline, a piece of equipment that moves earth for surface mining and weighs in at 13 million pounds, from the Farmersburg Mine in Sullivan County to the Bear Run mine. Once the move is completed, Bear Run will be the largest mine east of the Mississippi River. Since the dragline weighs so much, crews will be moving at a pace of less than one-tenth of a mile per hour. Peabody officials say the trip will take roughly 30 days.

Mine Data

 * Owner:
 * Parent company: Peabody Energy
 * Location: 7255 East CR 600 S, Carlisle, IN 47838
 * GPS coordinates: 38.995173,-87.313929
 * Production: 8 million tons (projected)
 * Type of coal: High-sulfur
 * Mine type: Surface
 * Equipment:
 * Number of employees: 350 (projected)
 * Recoverable Reserves: 8 million tons

Related SourceWatch articles
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